The Abolition of Man

“I doubt whether we are sufficiently attentive to the importance of elementary text books.” 

Lewis, an educator, sees childhood as a crucial time when the mind as well as the moral and aesthetic sensibilities are formed. He feels compelled to critique The Green Book because he sees it as a source of dangerous beliefs and values. This opening sentence signals that The Abolition of Man will be primarily about early education.

“This confusion is continually present in language as we use it. We appear to be saying something very important about something: and actually we are only saying something about our own feelings.” 

This passage is a quote from The Green Book in which the authors attempt to debunk the validity of emotional reactions in written language. Lewis points out how the authors push a philosophical agenda under the pretense of teaching children how to write. 

“Another little portion of the human heritage has been quietly taken from them before they were old enough to understand.” 

The Tao, and the moral sentiments it contains, is a traditional and deeply rooted philosophy of life that must be passed on from generation to generation. For Lewis, the philosophy of The Green Book destroys this process, corrupting the minds of innocent children who are not aware of what is being done to them.